At last I managed to catch the chick being fed. The other egg is still there. I am now fairly sure this is the first brood from this pair of swifts. With all the research I have done I now know that pre breeding pairs look for nest sites the year before they breed usually at the end of the season. Last August I thought I heard a rustling during the night but put it down to the dogs. In the morning the rustling was still there and on opening a wardrobe I found a swift. It had flown through an open window during the evening and found a comfortable nest site. That window is directly below the nest site. Also I have seen no swift louse on these birds. The louse lays eggs that remain dormant until the following year. This I think is more evidence, added to the fact that I have not seen this nest used in previous years, that this may be a first for this nest.

Here is the chick being fed.